When
Speaker: Sarah E. Rinkevich, PhD
Endangered Species Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service & DOI Tribal Liaison for the Office of Assistant Secretary of Interior for Water and Science
Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Time: 3:00-4:00 pm
Location: ENR2, S107
Abstract: The Grand Canyon is a place of great spiritual and cultural importance for Native American Tribes within the Arizona and northern New Mexico. The construction of the Glen Canyon Dam, completed in 1968, forever changed the Colorado River ecosystem. Because of environmental concerns, the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (GCDAMP) was established in1996. The GCDAMP is a science-based process for continually improving management practices related to the operation of Glen Canyon Dam by emphasizing learning through monitoring, research, and experimentation. The Bureau of Reclamation is responsible for administering funds for the GCDAMP and providing those funds for monitoring, research, and stakeholder involvement. The majority of program funding is derived from hydropower revenues. Five Tribes participate in the GCDAMP including: the Hualapai Tribe, Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, Pueblo of Zuni, and Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians and Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah (Shivwits Band), represented as the Southern Paiute Consortium. The USGS?s Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center has the primary responsibility for research in the Grand Canyon. The primary focus of research has been monitoring populations of endangered humpback chub (Gila cypha) and non-native rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Rainbow trout have been removed in the past to improve conditions for the humpback chub. However, killing of living organisms in the Grand Canyon is unacceptable to the Native American Tribes because of the sacredness of the Grand Canyon. The complexity of issues that occur within the Grand Canyon because of presence of the Glen Canyon Dam will be discussed.
FLYER